No. 11 Florida proved no match for Arkansas on Saturday in Fayetteville, as the Razorbacks upset the Gators 31-10.
Arkansas’ defense stole the show, limiting Florida to 241 yards of total offense and just 12 rushing yards.
Razorbacks running back Rawleigh Williams III, on the other hand, led his team’s offensive charge with 148 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Arkansas’ defense got things going early when Santos Ramirez picked off Luke Del Rio and returned it 24 yards for the opening touchdown just two minutes, 40 seconds into the game.
KATV’s Steve Sullivan thought it couldn’t get any easier for the defensive back:
Wow !!! Christmas comes early for Santos Ramirez !!! Hog D 7 Gators 0.
— Steve Sullivan (@sully7777) November 5, 2016
After forcing a Florida punt, Arkansas made it 14-0 with 5:56 left in the first after a methodical drive spanned 91 yards and was capped off by a six-yard scoring run by Williams.
It couldn’t have gotten much worse for Florida, via SEC on CBS:
Florida isn't feeling that good right now.
Arkansas leads, 14-0. pic.twitter.com/Rtxf5F5FMi
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) November 5, 2016
The Gators defense didn’t do itself any favors during the drive, though, when a pass interference call on a 3rd-and-7 from the Florida 13-yard line kept the drive alive.
However, it made up for the mistake late in the first when Duke Dawson intercepted an Austin Allen pass and went 37 yards for the score to cut into the deficit, via SEC on CBS:
Anything you can do I can do. @GatorsFB responds with a pick-6 of their own! https://t.co/poMJU0iM2q
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) November 5, 2016
SB Nation’s Richard Johnson jokingly noticed that it was the longest play of the day for any player wearing blue, orange and white:
Duke Dawson with the longest offensive play of the day, by a lot.
— Fried Turkey Johnson (@RJ_Writes) November 5, 2016
Things became a defensive struggle when the teams combined for five punts and an interception (from Del Rio) in the next six possessions. Arkansas’ run defense was immovable, forcing Florida to try to move the ball through the air.
It was a huge change of pace for ESPN.com’s Edward Aschoff:
Man this Arkansas run defense is A LOT of fun to watch. Two weeks ago it was hopeless and now it's dominating
— Edward Aschoff (@AschoffESPN) November 5, 2016
Adding to the good vibes, Arkansas unleashed another long drive late in the second quarter to pad its lead going into halftime.
This time, the Razorbacks went 87 yards on 10 plays that ended with Allen hitting Drew Morgan with a pass from seven yards out to help make it 21-7 with 16 seconds left.
Arkansas’ defense, even on special teams, ensured that the Razorbacks kept momentum. Especially on the second half’s opening kickoff, when Damon Mitchell flattened Chris Thompson:
Even SEC Network appreciated the huge hit:
Damon Mitchell bringing the BOOM in Fayetteville! ?
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 5, 2016
While the teams traded field goals in the third quarter, it was the only scoring action of a quarter that began with five straight punts.
As Florida continued to remain just two scores back of Arkansas, Williams put the game on ice with 5:40 left when he broke loose for a 41-yard touchdown, via SEC on CBS:
The icing on the cake! Rawleigh Williams III dashes 41 yards for a @RazorbackFB TD. https://t.co/bHH2DSmmR5
— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) November 5, 2016
This was a historic win for Arkansas, as SEC Network noted:
HOW 'BOUT THEM HOGS???!!!@RazorbackFB upsets No. 11 Florida, 31-10. Arkansas' first win over Florida since 1982. pic.twitter.com/zUFhL04Tro
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 5, 2016
It also ensured that it would be bowl-eligible for the third straight season while proving that the SEC West is the far better division within the conference.
With Arkansas’ win over the SEC East Gators, West teams are now 9-1 this season, with each team owning at least one win over an East opponent, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).
Florida is now tied with Kentucky in the division with a 4-2 conference record, though it did beat the Wildcats earlier in the season 45-7 to own the tiebreaker. But a difficult road ahead awaits the Gators, who have upcoming matchups against No. 13 LSU (Nov. 19) and No. 22 Florida State (Nov. 26).
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
